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J. P. BLACK.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JosEPH P. BLACK, OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, Assienon TOTHE HAPGOODIPLOW}COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CULTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,916, dated January11, 1887.

Application filed September 22, 1886. Serial No. 214,226. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. BLAoK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in'Cultivators,of which thefollowing is a speeification.

This invention relates to straddle-row cultivators, and has the objectto improve the holding and carrying of the plows, whereby they will workmore steadily and in a better manner than heretofore; and it consists.in a chain and spring combined in such a manner that the chain limitsthe movement of the spring, and which I name and call limited spring,constructed, arranged, and adapted to operate as hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, like letters refer to like parts in all thefigures,in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvedcultivator; Fig. 2, a side elevation view of same. Fig. 3 is aperspective view, enlarged, of the limited spring, showing itsconstruction. Fig. 4 is a view showing modification of construction ofparts.

My improvements may be applied to any cultivator of ordinaryconstruction of either riding or walking straddle-row species, having aframe on wheels provided with two gangs of plows, and the said frame mayconsist of the axle B, with wheels \V, the tongue T, with hounds h, andbraces b, all of ordinary construction, and with the double-tree ordrop-evener D, for which I make claim in another patent filed of evendate herewith and do not herein claim, and said gangs of plows consistof the drag-bars G, provided with the shovels c, and connected to thesaid frame by the coupling d, all of ordinary construction, as shown inthe drawings.

A represents the limited spring, which may consist of the chain a,having its bottom end secured to the said drag-bars andits top endconnected to the said frame by means of the bracket k, having the hook 6upon its outer end to engage in one of the links of said chain, by whichsaid chain may be adjusted and made either longer or shorter in gagingthe depth of working of the plows, as will be un-. derstood by thedrawings, and the coiled spring m, provided with the hooks it upon itseither end to engage in links of said chain, as shown in Fig. 3.Preferably said spring is coiledaboutthechain, as shown; butit may beoutside the chain with like results without departing from the purviewof my invention. The said spring may be adjusted and made either strongor light, acting by moving the hooks nto other links in the chain, andit may be made sufficiently strong to' lift and elevate and carry theplows as will be understood by the drawings.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification of the bracket k enlarged, which Isometimes use in ridingcultivators, in which a lever, L, is connectedwith said bracket and chain, by whichthe operator may adjust and elevatethe plows while seated in the seat S on the cultivator, as will beunderstood by the draw ings.

In operation the chain is connected to the drag-bars and adjusted byinserting the hook e in any link of the chain, so as to allow the plowsto enter the ground a certain depth and no deeper. The spring is thenadjusted by inserting the hooks n in any link of the chain to any powerof strength required to lift the plows. The operator, when walking, hashold of the handles of the plows, and when riding has his feet restingon the drag-bars, to assist in steadying the plows and keep them totheir workingdepth, and when it is desired to elevate the plows thespring lifts upon them and assists the operator, whereby the plows workmore steadily, are more easily operated, and do their work in a bettermanner than heretofore.

It will be observed that when the plows are down in a working positionthe chain is taut spring m, with hooks n, and the chain a, suberating tolift upon the-plows when at its workstantiallyas and for. the purposeset forth. ing position, substantially as and for the pur- 2. In acultivator, the chain a, having one pose set forth. end secured to theplow, the other end. conv JOSEPH P. BLACK. 5 nected to the frame in sucha manner as to Witnesses:

limit and prevent the plows going below a oer- CHAS. S. PHILIPS,taindepth, in combination with a spring op- A. EROBERTS.

